


Readjust

by Glitch1 (The_Glitches)



Series: Entangle [9]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Prime
Genre: After-interface injuries, Knockout being Knockout, M/M, Starscream being Starscream
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-11
Updated: 2016-08-11
Packaged: 2018-08-08 02:53:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7740616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Glitches/pseuds/Glitch1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the cave-in and the following two-frag/three-overload session, Starscream must, again, suffer with the results and Knockout's disapproval while he vents his anger.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Readjust

**Author's Note:**

> This is the final part to this series. I hope you enjoy, and thank you to everyone who read, kudo'ed and commented 8-)

He had been managing it _so_ well. So well, that he had almost forgotten the likely possibility that Megatron would, somehow, inevitably, get him on his own. 

Months had flown by with very little interaction between himself and the Lord of the Decepticons, but it had been just a _week_ after that last encounter in which Starscream had started…craving. No, no, such a word was too strong, it wasn’t a craving, it was a nuance. Something he couldn’t quite identify. But all he could think about in the following months was how distracting it was.

And how _annoying_ it had become.

Knockout’s fishing back in the medbay had reminded Starscream how he used to be, how his trine used to behave with these not-cravings. Even if he had been seeking confirmation, the doctor knew trines took care of each other’s needs, and Starscream hadn’t had his trine for a long, long time. Now, Megatron sought to disrupt the hibernation Starscream had adapted to without his outlets. And he was doing a damn good job.

So good, in fact, that when Megatron revealed he was not above using convenient situations to his advantage, Starscream couldn’t even summon the _will-power_ to refuse him. Oh, he griped and hissed in disbelief – how dare Megatron think to frag him when he had _just_ been pulled from a collapsed mine – but he didn’t say ‘stop’. He didn’t tell Megatron to back down. In some dark crevice of his muddled processor, he didn’t want him to.

Which led him to this very morning: Sore, scratched, and thoroughly fragged.

Not just fragged, either. Megatron had certainly had his wicked way with Starscream in more ways than one, and then had the audacity to suggest that the Seeker should find him later for another round. The insolence! Adding together the ailments stacked against him, Starscream would be lucky to crawl out of Megatron’s quarters at all. His systems were still recovering from the cold, even with the Decepticon warlord’s inappropriate ‘remedy’, and their recent activities had fatigued his frame even more, despite the medical grade he had been prescribed. His aft was complaining painfully, having taken more punishment than it could take from a lecherous mech twice his size, and his welds were transmitting oversensitive data, having been prematurely strained. Altogether they had confined Starscream to the huge berth long after Megatron had disappeared for duty shift, despite his urge to get out of there. Had he not snapped out of his post-overload snooze he might have remained there until the big brute returned.

“Uuugh, I r—lly hate h--,” the Seeker groaned to himself, finally summoning the strength to sit back up and shuffle off the berth. His vocalizer was still sore, and he dreaded bumping into anyone on his way back to his own quarters. If he didn’t shift soon, Megatron might really send Knockout to fix him up, and Starscream couldn’t bear the thought of being seen in such a degrading situation.

Thinking of the red doctor, Starscream cast his thoughts back to something Megatron had said in the wash racks. Knockout had informed him that Seekers had fast healing speeds and were highly adaptive – when in the _Pits_ had he needed to tell Megatron _that?!_ Embarrassment and anger flared within him. Had Knockout disclosed that information merely for professional purposes, or had Megatron… enquired? Why _would_ he enquire? Why bother? It’s not like he cared if Starscream healed well after his treatment. Right? And regardless, now Megatron knew that, he also knew that he could continue this debauchery, because – curse it all – it was true, Starscream’s frame would gradually adapt to Megatron’s rather large… intrusions. What he once prided himself on, Starscream felt betrayed by. He shouldn’t complain, it was actually a good thing (Primus, Megatron was _big_ ), but it was also being used by Megatron as a reason to pursue him, to continue this _thing_.

Starscream paused. Did he want it to continue? Being truthful with himself was not something Starscream did regularly, usually too preoccupied with random, dogmatic or strategic thoughts, but he took a rare, introspective moment with himself and dug deep for an answer. Yes. And No. He had too many issues for it to be a simple answer. The pleasure was undeniable, he enjoyed it. Pits, he _craved_ – no, _‘not-craved’_ – it. But Megatron still inspired anger and fear and all manner of negative feelings.

_“That, dear Starscream, is what makes this so good…”_

He shuddered, both in arousal and irritation. He was finding that voice to be quite stimulating, and he didn’t like that he _liked_ it.

Finding his pedes, he slowly dropped his weight onto them as his pain indicators bombarded him with hurts here, there and everywhere. Slagging Megatron. His left angle joint flared at him warningly, and he eased weight from it until his equilibrium had settled and he tried again. Still sore, but it would do. He couldn’t remember what pressure and strain he had put on his healing injuries in the past solar cycle, but he was beginning to think it was certainly a bit.

Checking his chronometer, he felt only slightly assured that he would not encounter anyone on his way back to his own quarters. He hit the door release, gathered his energy (and courage) and peeked out into the corridor. Empty. Phew. He quickly left the room and made what little haste he could attain back to his own. Fortune was not on his side.

“Lord Starscream,” one of a trio of drones sounded surprised to see him. Outside the corridor to his own quarters. 

Starscream grit his denta, irritation bubbling inside him. Had he the energy, he would have let it out verbally, but he did not want anyone to hear his broken vocalizer. He stormed past, placing his gait carefully.

“Sir, are you… limping again?”

Starscream pulled up straight and turned a frown on the drone. _Again?_

The drone seemed to realize he had said something unwarranted. He stepped back into his partner. “Uh, sorry, Commander, I did not mean to sound so disrespectful.” With that, he turned around and marched rather quickly away, with his drone companions following.

Starscream’s lip plate curled up bewilderedly after him, realization hitting. It must have been the same damn drone to see him limping the first time. Had Megatron stationed them in this area? For what reason? To spy on him? No, he had Soundwave to do all that for him, he wouldn’t delegate a pair of drones to such a task.

“Rrgnn,” he groaned. He had a processor ache. Making his way down the rest of the corridor he finally arrived at his quarters, feeling relief as he stepped in, closed his door behind and collapsed onto his front on his own slab – immediately hissing in pain at the wounds on his cockpit, not to mention everything else that shook with the impact. He hadn’t thought that through, but after a second he relaxed. His familiar scents were a comfort, even if none of the rooms were distinctly different in appearance.

Barely a minute later, he received a comm.

“Commander Starscream,” came Knockout’s drawl, making Starscream wince into the disrupted silence. He just wanted to be left alone in his pit of aches and pains. “I should commend you for, what was it, ah, getting _laid_ again –” Starscream frowned, what did that mean? “– but as your physician I’m a tad angry. All my hard work repairing you and Lord Megatron pounds you into the berth yet again.”

Embarrassment exploded within the Seeker’s frame, his optics widened. How did Knockout know?! And how dare he use such a vulgar connotation! Warmth rippled through Starscream unwittingly as it repeated in his processor. How. Mortifying.

Starscream spat on static before he could help himself, and before he had even gotten any words out Knockout knew immediately he had screamed his vocalizer into failure. “H-- _dare_ you –”

“Commander, I need to give you a check over,” the doctor cut over him, his tone leaving little place for arguments, and little chance for anyone to miss how annoyed he was about this situation. “You were in no state for _running_ let alone _interfacing_. I need to assess your condition.”

“I’m f---,” Starscream tried to argue, wanting anything but another look-over for more interface-related damages.

“Clearly,” Knockout deadpanned, his usual inflections gone. “What is your location?”

“Cl---ified,” the flyer snapped.

“Do you really want me to approach Soundwave and ask him to locate you for me?” His tone may have been replaced with a displeased tenor, but his brass was still there. Being the medical doctor allowed Knockout more freedom to request and receive things that would otherwise be questioned, and of course he knew it. “Your quarters or Megatron’s?” He ventured an educated guess.

Starscream froze with his lip plates parted on unspoken threats and insults. He did _not_ want Knockout contacting Soundwave to find him, but the doctor was stubborn enough to do it, and thus Starscream felt himself relenting. He growled brokenly through their comm link.

“Mine,” he ground out. He cut the communication before Knockout could, just to be spiteful, and let his face fall back from where it had risen for the conversation. He was so very irritated now, Megatron had caused him yet more hassle, and where was _he_? Probably on the bridge reliving his latest defilement.

Another minute later the door announced the medic’s arrival, and reluctantly Starscream let him in with his internal command. He would have kept him waiting outside but he wanted to get this whole ordeal over with.

Knockout stepped in as the door closed behind, almost too quickly, but his attention was on the prone Seeker, and he looked disapproving indeed.

“Do wh— you -ust and th-n go,” Starscream said into his arm, too lethargic to even show some pride and get up. Pride had been fragged out of him and he really didn’t care.

Knockout stepped against the berth and was already checking Starscream’s vitals on his scanner, his medical kit set down on the floor. “I can’t believe Lord Megatron ignored my orders,” he said curtly, frowning crossly at his monitor. “I said no _strenuous activity_ , and what does he do? Frags you into the slab as soon as I’m out the door.”

Starscream stiffened. “Wh-t? How do y—kn— tha-?” He lifted his helm to look back at the doctor, brow furrowed, optics wide with suspicion. “-ow di- you kn-- Megatr-- had even fragged me?”

Knockout cast a glance at him as he lowered his scanner, his usual smug air gone. “You’d both left a telling spot on the medical berth,” he answered.

Starscream’s frown deepened slightly before he realized, in horror, what Knockout meant. Would this day get any more shameful? The Seeker groaned, letting his face drop into his palms.

“ _You_ should have told him no,” Knockout reprimanded, gently taking Starscream’s wing in both servos and studying the weld line closely, running an assessing touch along the pane. “Why didn’t you?”

Starscream opened his mouth, and froze. He didn’t have an answer.

“…Is it really that good?”

Indignation flared up before his helm had even turned to glare daggers at Knockout. But the smarminess was still absent, and the doctor was watching him with leveled curiosity as he pressed carefully along the wing. Maybe it was his fatigue, maybe it was his condition, maybe it was even the earlier interface influencing his mood, but Starscream found his temper receding alarmingly fast in the face of Knockout’s patient expression and kneading. He should be feeling more awkward, more shame – more anger – but he felt something sooth its way into his lines and he reluctantly swallowed his explosive words. He couldn’t answer Knockout’s question… Could he? His silence – hell, even his current predicament – was evidence enough that _something_ was certainly good enough for him to endure it. 

Eventually, he gave up and groaned, lowering his face back down. “Uu-ghhh, I must ju-- be depr-ved.” Yes, yes that must be it. “I kept mys--f perfe--ly conserved until he unba--nced everyth--g.”

Knockout released his wing and his fingers slid along Starscream’s ankle, wrapping around it to check the work done there. There was a brief pause of words. “Perhaps. But Lord Megatron does like to master anything he puts his mind to. He must be applying a lot of… _attention_ to these ‘random, insanity-driven fits of licentiousness’.”

Starscream paused. That… that made sense. Megatron had been treating him with surprising care during their trysts, could it be he was simply trying to excel as an interface partner? Was it yet another challenge for him to win? What was the end reward if he was already getting gratification? More importantly, if this was true, why was Megatron’s definition of a berth-partner someone that considerate and careful? It seemed far from his usual interpretation on things. Perhaps it came from his time before the war. Starscream closed his optics. Too many questions; thinking too deeply on someone he had never cared to extend processing power on. But shutting out the visual input only enhanced his memory replays, and he was watching Megatron’s bulk rocking steadily above him before he could even register the pain alerts flashing on his internal display. He pulled himself from his recollection and hissed, jerking his leg and causing more soreness.

“Hm,” Knockout hummed, having released the ankle. He carefully took it in servo again and rotated it slowly the other way. Starscream growled in pain. “Seems the weld has been agitated, but nothing compromised. It will just be sore. I suggest you do not put _any_ weight on it at all for the next two solar cycles.”

“A-- you tell--g me I --n’t _walk_ anywh---?” Starscream griped, glancing back.

“Don’t give _me_ the attitude,” Knockout shot him a look, lowering the pede back onto the slab and picking up the other. “You could have prevented this. Megatron _certainly_ should have prevented this.”

“I c--’t stay on --is slab f-- two solar c-cles!”

“You can if you ever want to heal,” Knockout shot back. He put the ankle down as Starscream opened his mouth to argue further, but before he could say anything the doctor’s optics widened and he cut across. “What in the Pits of Kaon did he do to you?” He hovered his servos over the eight puncture marks on Starscream’s sides. “It’s lucky these didn’t do any _other_ damage.” The annoyed edge to his faceplate returned. “Seriously, Megatron should have kept his strength in check, he could have hit main energon lines. This is probably why your people keep to their _own_.” Knockout pressed near to the marks, peering at them with a stern scrutiny. “You and Megatron are not exactly frame-compatible… but he’s made it work somehow.” His expression eased and he turned his curious optics on Starscream’s indignant ones. “Whatever he’s doing, he’s doing it well.”

The Seeker tensed visibly for a verbal assault, but he collected himself and controlled his temper. As he did so, Knockout spoke again before he could.

“Here, down this,” he said, pulling a vial from his kit and holding it out to Starscream. “The repairing nanites will help your vocalizer reset.”

Starscream pushed himself up into a better position, drawing his knees in and setting back on a servo. Wincing, he took the vial, wishing the same remedy could ease the rest of the aches. 

Knockout’s eyebrows jumped. “Are those _thumbholes_?”

Belatedly, Starscream tried to cover his abdomen glass with a sneer of dismissal, but Knockout slapped his servo out the way and inspected the injuries.

“I know I thought this new development between you two would benefit you both mentally, but I see it’s certainly hindering _you_ physically,” Knockout commented, peering at the thumbholes closely. He stood straight, optics flittering over all the little marks. “And I suspect he’s being _careful_. I wouldn’t want to see what happens when he isn’t.”

“I wou—n’t let him!” Starscream said immediately, bristling at the mere thought that he would be used with such disregard. 

Knockout smirked, picking up his medical scanner. “I hope you left your _own_ reminders again.”

Starscream’s arrogance outshone his embarrassment, and he smirked back. “Wi--out fail.”

The doctor looked at his readings. “Anyway, you will have to come to medbay for me to repair those claw marks, and since I forbid you to walk on that ankle, I will have to ask Soundwave to supply a groundbridge directly.”

“No,” Starscream snapped petulantly. “I don’t w--t anyone wonder--- what I -ould need -uch a shortcut for.”

Knockout stared at him. “You _have_ just been rescued from a cave-in. I’m sure no one would think anything of it.”

Starscream paused. With Megatron’s monopoly of his time since, he had forgotten about the mine incident.

“I’m sure Soundwave will think nothing of it, too.”

The Seeker gave him a look. They both knew that Soundwave most likely knew what was going on. It would usually bother Starscream, but he had long since given up fretting over what the Third in Command heard of personal matters.

“Look, it’s either that, or you wait for two days to get to my medical bay,” the doctor sighed. “I don’t recommend that with your current condition. Your self-repairs are still significantly slower.”

“I’ll sur--ve,” Starscream said stubbornly, even though they both knew the Nemesis would see two days of utter hell via comm channels, and by mere volume.

Knockout tried a different tactic. “Megatron will not be pleased when I inform him his Second in Command is unable to move at all. And is therefore _useless_.”

Starscream prickled, but refrained from snapping back. Knockout didn’t know that Megatron had pretty much told him to stay put, he wasn’t to aggravate his injuries, or he’d be very displeased. Well, he’d phrased _that_ well, hadn’t he? As long as Starscream didn’t worsen his _own_ recovery it was fine, wasn’t it?! But Megatron could?! He’d stabbed ten extra dints into the Seeker, and probably pushed his recovery back even more, but that was fine, because _he’d_ done it. Ugh! He made Starscream so mad!

“Whatever inner argument you’re having with yourself, can you do it while you drink that?” Knockout indicated the vial still in Starscream’s servo. It was very nearly close to getting crushed.

With a silent snarl at his situation, Starscream tipped the vial back and returned the empty glass.

“You know I’m going to inform Megatron, don’t you?” Knockout told him, putting it back into his kit.

Starscream prickled again. “Wh--? Why? He alr--dy knows wha- he’s done -- me.”

“Because if I bring it to his attention that you’ve sustained yet more damage, he might think twice before jumping your wings again,” the doctor said with a set brow, fixing his optics on the flyer’s.

Starscream scowled. “W-- _my_ luck h- has – injury fetish. Y--’ll jus- turn -im on.”

Knockout’s expression opened a little at that, surprised and pleased that Starscream was talking so loosely about this. Finally. “Perhaps not if I, shall we say, exaggerate your _internal_ injuries… If he’s taking care not to outright damage you he probably won’t want to exacerbate the one feature he seems so taken with.” The smug look on his face pushed a stony one onto Starscream’s. “I imagine he wants _that_ in top sha –”

“Yes, _alrigh-_ ,” the Seeker cut across him, scowling. “Try it. I’m pas- caring a--more.”

A cozy look of victory settled into Knockout’s face; it was rare Starscream acquiesced to someone else’s idea, especially when it might bring him into a slightly vulnerable light; he never liked to let his injuries get in his way unless it benefitted him.

“Of course, if he doesn’t heed my hinting, it will fall on _you_ to stop anything,” the medic said, fixing his ringed optics meaningfully on Starscream’s. “But…I am not so sure you have that will-power.”

Starscream stiffened, anger coursing through him. _Of course_ he had the will-power to stop their brutish warlord from pawing at him. He was not some interfaced-starved pleasure bot who… well, okay he _was_ interface-starved – or more like interface-lacking – but he hadn’t needed it. It wasn’t a necessity. But, lately, all he could see when he offlined his optics was Megatron _doing_ things to him, and he just couldn’t let it go. It was like a hook inside his mind, prying into his processor with aggressive determination and Starscream couldn’t shake it loose. It came with an accompanying feeling, that _nuance_ that Starscream couldn’t distinguish, and the only times it had been expelled was when Megatron had him in his manipulative fingers and was driving it away full force. It was like an itch. An itch only Megatron could scratch.

A little string pulled away from the tangled ball of thoughts in his processor. What if he could make this work to his advantage? Megatron had awoken something inside him, that was unfortunate, but he was right in that it benefited them both. In what way could Starscream use this? Megatron sought him specifically for pleasure, but he never outright took it, never by force, which meant, obviously, he was allowing Starscream a choice in the matter. An option to refuse. Perhaps Starscream could wrangle this in his favor…

Knockout was speaking, but not to him. Starscream pulled himself from his own sporadic thoughts to hear the request for a groundbridge. Within the next second the sound of displaced air disrupted the room and the glowing portal yawned open before them. Starscream’s wings twitched in response to the new air current.

“Let’s go,” Knockout said, reaching for Starscream’s arm. He helped the Seeker to his one good pede, allowing him to wrap a long arm around him, trying not to cringe as he eyed the long, sharp talons tap against his plating.

Starscream lifted his damaged pede from the floor and scowled. “I f--l like an invali-.”

“Get used to it,” Knockout said unsympathetically, securing his own servo around Starscream’s waist. The Seeker huffed as they hobbled the few feet to the groundbridge. “Oh, and by the way,” he began with a sly lilt to his voice.

_Don’t you dare…_

“I told you so.”

Starscream’s glare was short-lived as they both disappeared into the groundbridge.


End file.
